National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Astronaut Captures Lyrid Meteor Shower from International Space Station (ISS)

Key facts

• A National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronaut captured photographs of the Lyrid meteor shower from the International Space Station (ISS).
• The images were recorded by astronaut Jessica Meir from the ISS cupola, a module with windows specifically used for photography and observing Earth.
• The Lyrid meteor shower reaches its maximum activity annually on April 21 and 22.
• The phenomenon occurs when Earth encounters dust particles from a comet, which heat up due to friction upon entering the atmosphere.
• The shower is named the Lyrids because the meteors appear to originate from the Lyra constellation, known as the radiant.
• Observers in the Northern Hemisphere are advised to look towards the East to view the shower.
• The photographs were captured using a three-second exposure.
• The ISS is visible from Earth as a bright, steadily moving object without the need for telescopic equipment.